A Girl and Her Wolf
by Ms.WrightingFantasy
Summary: After the fall of the Dark Lord, Pansy’s seventh year at Hogwarts is going terrible. On top of the way everyone has been treating the Slytherin’s, the werewolf is the DADA teacher again, and he’s got an infuriating smile.
1. Chapter 1

Title – A Girl and Her Wolf

Author – Ms.WritingFantasy

Disclaimer – The characters in the story belong to J. K. Rowling, not me.

Summary – After the fall of the Dark Lord, Pansy's seventh year at Hogwarts is going terrible. On top of the way everyone has been treating the Slytherin's, the werewolf is the DADA teacher again, and he's got an infuriating smile.

A/N – This doesn't take the 6th or 7th book into consideration, so just toss what you know out the window.

"Mother Father, please, I would prefer a private tutor. Millicent's parents got her a private tutor, and it's only for one year." Pansy pleaded desperately with her parents.

"Hush, Pansy. You will return to Hogwarts for your last year. Do you want the Parkinsons to be seen as too cowardly to return? They'll for sure know that we sided with the Dark Lord." Her father chided her sternly.

"You're father is right. It would seem suspicious if you didn't return to Hogwarts. Besides, Draco, Gregory, and Vincent are returning. If they are returning then you should be well protected." Her mother chimed in a little less harsh than her father.

Pansy ignored the urge to sigh that rose in her throat. Her parents had made up their minds, and as much as it killed her to admit it, she wouldn't be able to convince them otherwise.

"I understand." She replied quietly.

Her parents shared a quick happy look.

"Wonderful. Now go to your room and sort through everything you wish to take. I'll send a house elf up shortly to help you pack." Her father said.

And with that, she knew she had been excused.

Pansy nodded and left her parents presence without another word.

Pansy sat, with her ankles crossed, staring out the window of the Hogwarts Express. It was easy to pick out those that were in her house. They stuck out painfully obvious with their cold guarded faces and their dark circled eyes that came from the lack of sleep. The stress that lined their faces was evident, or perhaps she was so accustomed to seeing the same look stare back at her every time she passed a mirror that it simply came naturally for her to pick the faces out of the crowd. The faces disappeared quickly into the train, just as she had done. There were far too many people that stopped in their tracks whenever one of them passed by…just staring. A few whispered amongst themselves, but most just stared at them as if they were some sort of side show.

Pansy sighed and readjusted herself so she could lean onto the palm of her hand as she stared outside. Not very lady-like, but it wasn't as if her parents were there to scold her. At least that was one reasonably okay thing about being away at Hogwarts, her parents couldn't constantly upbraid her about not behaving the way they though a young lady should.

That's not to say that Pansy didn't have manners. Oh no, she was no muggle. She had had a proper upbringing, and she made sure that everything about her gave off that exact impression.

"Oi! I think I found an empty compartment!" Pansy's neck hair stood on ends at the familiar but not friendly voice.

Red hair appeared in the door way of her compartment, and she tensed. Not even seconds the rest of the Golden Trio appeared beside the youngest male of the Weasley clan.

"Oh bugger, never mind." Ron said upon seeing Pansy.

The tension was thick. Pansy hadn't seen the Golden Trio since the end of their sixth year when a list of likely Death Eater's had reached their hands. Pansy's parents had been, correctly, accused, but managed to bribe their way out of an Azkaban sentencing.

"Sorry, we thought this compartment was empty." Harry said politely.

Pansy could hear her heart beating loudly in her chest. _Damn him. _She thought angrily. She wanted nothing more than to curse him. Curse him for every hardship that had befallen her family over the summer. So many people from the Ministry had searched her house numerous times, trying to find any evidence that they had been associated with the Dark Lord. They, of course, found nothing. The Parkinsons were not stupid. They did not leave dark objects out in the open. No, they had special places to hide valued objects.

"Well," Pansy ground out as even as possible. ", as you can see, it's not. I'm waiting for other people to arrive, so if you would kindly find somewhere else to sit, I would be grateful."

Hermione looked generally surprised by Pansy's polite tone. "Of course," She said grabbing Ron and Harry by the arm. "Sorry to bother you."

She pulled them out of the compartment and they started down the hall, but their last words as the walked away still managed to find their way into Pansy's ears.

"That was bloody weird. Why was she so polite?"

"Hush, Ron. Perhaps she's changed."

Pansy ground her teeth, furious with herself. Why hadn't she cursed them or at the very least slammed the door in their faces? _Anything _to show that she wasn't them that they were still beneath her. No matter how often Daily Prophet dribbled on about equality and accepting the muggle borns into the wizarding world, Pansy would not stoop to the level of a muggle born. She was Pansy Parkinson. A pure blood. And nothing, _**nothing**_, was going to change that.

"Pansy? I thought we had agreed to wait for each other by the train entrance."

Pansy snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of her best friend's voice.

Draco stood in the doorway; the same tired look that she and every other Slytherin wore lined his face.

"I'm sorry. I just…got tired of them all staring." Pansy said dropping her voice to a whisper.

A pained expression passed across Draco's face. "I understand. It was quite a hassle just to get to the train. We probably wouldn't have been able to push through the crowd if we had walked together."

Draco levitated his trunk into the compartment and then took a seat across from Pansy.

"Where are Crabbe and Goyle?" Pansy asked after a few minutes had passed.

Draco sighed. "They got private tutors at the last minute."

Pansy's jaw dropped; her mother would have scolded her for such a low born gesture.

"They what? Both of them?" Pansy asked.

"Yes both of them. Ever since Goyle's father died, his mother has been very compliant. And, Crabbe refused to come without Goyle, so they both got the same tutor. They're going to just have lessons together."

"But…hardly anyone is coming back. Draco, what would happen if there aren't enough Slytherins this year?"

Draco bit his bottom lip as the train pulled to life and started off down the track.

"I honestly don't know."

Well, I hope you enjoyed it. This isn't intended to be a romance story. There might be smatterings of DM/PP but nothing to heavy. I might just MIGHT turn it into a romance later down the line after graduation, but most likely not before then. Much Love!

Sincerely,

Ms.WritingFantasy


	2. Chapter 2

Title – A Girl and Her Wolf

Author – Ms.WritingFantasy

Disclaimer – The character in this belong to J. K. Rowling, not me.

Summary - After the fall of the Dark Lord, Pansy's seventh year at Hogwarts is going terrible. On top of the way everyone has been treating the Slytherin's, the werewolf is the DADA teacher again, and he's got an infuriating smile.

A/N – Alright, I wasn't exactly sure if I was clear on what the future pairings would be if I do turn this into a romance down the line. It would most likely be RL/PP. Yeah I know, weird, but oh well. When the story is finished you'll understand why it would be that way. Anyway, enjoy Chapter 2.

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The train ride went slowly. At first Draco and Pansy had shared a pleasant sort of quiet chatter amongst the two of them, but soon they lapsed into silence as people began arriving just to peak their heads into the compartment just to get a look at the Death Eater's children. Draco bowed his head slightly and stared out the window, even though it was far to dark outside to see anything, all the while pretending not to notice every time someone would stick their head into the compartment, only to pull it back out just as quickly again as if they were afraid they would catch a disease.

After the twenty-seventh time that someone did the routine stick their head in pull it right back out maneuver, Pansy had had enough. She stood up and, to Draco's horror, slammed open the compartment door and bellowed out into the hallway.

"Just leave us alone would you!?"

"Pansy, are you mad!?" Draco asked jumping up and grabbing her by the arm. "Shut the door and sit back down." It was more of a desperate plead than a command.

"No! I can't stand the way they look at us! The next one that dares-"

"Ms. Parkinson is there something wrong?" A hoarse voiced asked.

Pansy turned to the voice. Her cold metal-like blue eyes met tired but warm blue ones that belonged to a certain werewolf. Her stomach turned with disgust. She could practically feel Draco's frantic heart beat as he clung to her arm.

"No. Everything's fine. That's why I'm out here screaming at the top of my lungs." Pansy growled acidly.

The corner werewolf's mouth twitched up into a slight smile. It wasn't enough of a smile to actually be called a smile, but it was something. It was…a half smile. Only a half smile. Just like he was _only_ a half breed. Even more so with his lycanthropy. Pansy glared at him. She was so absorbed with her glaring that she hadn't realized that people were beginning to come out of their compartments and openly stare. Draco tugged slightly at Pansy's arm, trying to pull her back into their compartment, but Pansy shook him off.

"Well, I suppose I'm too old to understand your generation's fads, but please try to keep your screaming to a reasonable volume. If you do decide there is a problem, I'll be sleeping in this compartment." He said pointing at the one behind him, and with that, he disappeared into the compartment and shut the door.

Draco grabbed Pansy's hand; this time, she allowed herself to be led back into the compartment. When he had shut the door and had taken his seat across from her, he grabbed Pansy's hand again.

"Please. _Please_ don't ever do that again." Draco said rubbing his thumb gently across Pansy's knuckles. "I know it's hard to take the stares, and I know it'll be hard walking down the halls as they whisper about us, but causing a scene won't make them stop. It will just give them even more of a reason to stare and whisper. We just have to keep our heads low and this will all blow over."

Pansy pulled her hand away from Draco's.

"I think we should get our robes on." She replied quietly.

Draco sighed. "Alright" He said after a moment of silence. "…I'll step out while you're dressing."

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When the train finally pulled to as stop, Pansy and Draco searched for an empty carriage to no avail. They ended up sitting with two fourth year Ravenclaws and a second year Hufflepuff. The Ravenclaws had eyed them suspiciously and the Hufflepuff turned a sickly green color.

The normally short ride took an eternity as Pansy and Draco tried to look everywhere except at the three younger students.

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Arriving at the Great Hall, Pansy and Draco took a seat at Slytherin table. The long majestic table was barren except for Pansy, Draco, one sixth year, three fifth years, five fourth years, two third years, and seven second years. Out of the fifty-three new first years, only two had been sorted into Slytherin. One of them, a girl, had started crying.

The motley crew huddled together as the Feast went on. The first year girl had stopped crying once a fifth year boy started doing tricks for her. Pretty soon all twenty-two Slytherins were marveling at the fifth teen year olds skill. He made bubbles shoot out of the end of his wand. He managed to turn his hair green. He even was able to turn a roll into a small turtle. The Slytherin's rejoiced with the small amount of pride that the fifth year had brought them.

As the fifth year finished up another trick, a cupcake came flying from the neighboring table and grazed the side of his head, covering his right cheek in chocolate icing. The pastry continued on and hit the third year girl across from him in the face. Most of the icing had ended up on the fifth year's face but the girl still screamed and wiped her face.

The fifth year's jaw had dropped and he was staring straight ahead stunned. The first year girl had started crying again. He quickly smiled; Pansy could tell it was forced. He ran his finger across his cheek and popped it into his mouth.

"Mmm. It's good you should try some!" He ran his finger across his cheek again but this time poked the tip of her nose, leaving a dab of chocolate on it.

It was a very improper thing to do, but it never-the-less made the first year girl smile through her tears.

Aside from those two and a few people asking their friends what had happened, the Great Hall was silent. At the staff table, Professor McGonagall stood up.

"Ms. Weasley, kindly keep your food at your table. Ten points from Gryffindor and you'll be serving detention with me on Saturday."

All eyes turned to the red head at the Gryffindor table. She was openly smiling, as were many of the people she was sitting with.

"Yes ma'am." Ginny said, he grin never wavering.

Soon after the hall was filled with its normal excited back to school chatter.

"Stupid Gryffindors." Pansy heard Draco mutter under his breath.

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After the Feast, Draco and Pansy lead the other twenty students down to the common room. It was strange having only twenty-two people in the House. They barely filled up half the common room, especially since they stayed huddled together by the fire instead of spreading out around the common room.

They just spent most the night talking and exchanging pleasantries. It was amazing how you could spend so many years together but never really know each other. The fifth year that had been performing in the Great Hall, Venin Maltov, continued to entertain some of the younger students.

Pansy yawned as Draco leaned over and whispered to her:

"You realize that we're the only seventh years, don't you?"

Pansy nodded sadly. "Yes, it's depressing how small our house is."

"At least it'll be easy to watch out for everyone." Draco sighed deeply, the fire light making him look even more tired.

"I think everyone is already getting fond of each other."

Right as the words left Pansy's mouth, Opal Stefanova, the first year girl that had cried after the sorting, scooted closer to Pansy.

With large blue eyes she stared up through her wavy brown bangs at Pansy.

"Where do we sleep?" She asked.

"Oh," Pansy frowned. ", I forgot all about showing around the first years-um-year." Pansy stood up and brushed the front of her robes off in an elegant manner.

"I'm going to bed too after I show her the dorms." Pansy said to Draco.

He nodded. "Night."

She turned toward the rest of the group.

"I take it everybody else can find the girl's dorms."

There was a chorus of "Yeses", "Mhmms", and a few nodding heads.

"Good. Goodnight then everyone." Pansy said.

"Goodnight everyone!" Opal waved.

Pansy walked over to the stair case entrance that led down deeper into the dungeons. With a flick of her wand hand, she motioned for Opal to follow her. The stair case was chilly especially after sitting in front of the fire surrounded by people, but Pansy had taken it so many times that she got an odd "at home" feeling from walking down it again that warmer her heart. The stairs were short and after several echoed steps Pansy and Opal reached an old well worn door.

Pansy opened it and stepped in, but stopped in her tracks as soon as she was inside the room.

"What's wrong?" Opal asked peaking around Pansy's taller figure.

The younger girl let out a gasp.

"It's beautiful!" She exclaimed running to the nearest bed and throwing herself onto it. The younger girl laughed as she bounced up and down on the great black comforter and buried her face into the emerald green pillow case.

"What's wrong?" Opal asked after a few minutes had gone by.

Pansy was still standing by the door.

"This…this used to be a hallway." Pansy said almost fearfully.

"What?" Opal asked, he blue eyes widening slightly from curiosity.

"This door," Pansy pointed behind her. ", used to lead to a hallway, and that hallway was lined with doors that led to all the dorm rooms."

"Well, since there aren't as many people this year, maybe the dorms changed like the moving stair cases." Opal offered.

"Maybe." Pansy said, frowning. She sighed suddenly. "Sorry, it's not that important."

"It's alright." Opal assured her.

She was now sitting on the end of the bed, but was still managing to bounce some how.

"You really should stop. You don't even know if that's your bed or not." Pansy snapped.

"W-what do you mean?" Opal stopped bouncing at Pansy's angry tone.

"Unless that is your trunk under your feet, you're bouncing on someone else's bed and putting your shoes all over someone else's trunk."

"Oh…" Opal said eyeing the trunk under her feet. "It's not mine."

She got off the bed and began to smooth out the wrinkles and fluff the smothered pillow. She even brushed off the top of the trunk, even though her shoes had been clean.

Pansy sighed through her nose and proceeded to her bed; it was fifth away from the door on the left side. She opened her trunk and pulled out her night clothes.

"Look, my bed's across from yours!" Opal said excitedly, all signs of her somberness just moments before had vanished.

"Wonderful." Pansy said dryly as she took off her robe and school clothes and replaced them with her night clothes.

Opening her trunk again, she took out a crushed velvet drawstring bag and put her folded school clothes and robe inside. Holding the bag by the strings she shut her trunk and climbed into her bed. She pulled open the mouth of the bag and reached inside. What she pulled out was a hair brush.

Slowly she pulled the brush through her hair a few times. She grabbed a strand in between her fingers and pulled in down to its greatest length. It almost reached her shoulders. During the passed several months she had been too consumed with the war to really care about things such as her hair, and thus it had gotten away with not being cut. Even after the war was over, she had to help her parents keep up the Imperious Curse façade. That accompanied with a good chunk of their fortune had made it fairly easy to have everything they had done in the war pushed aside and forgotten.

When everything had been taken care of, she had intended to cut her hair back into a bob, but her mother had forbidden it, saying,

"You're practically a woman now. You should be growing your hair out and learning how to properly apply make-up. What man is going to want to marry a woman that has short hair and applies make-up like a little boy?"

Pansy hadn't responded, but she had taken great offence. Later that night, Pansy had found the drawstring bag on her bed. It had been filled with make-up and lotion and hair products and other things that Pansy frankly didn't know what to do with, but the less than subtle hint that her mother had left her was upsetting. She had packed it simply because if she knew that if she didn't, her mother would send it to her via owl soon after.

Perhaps she would cut her hair now that she was away from home. If she started growing it in late winter, say February, then it would be slightly passed her shoulders by the time her mother saw her for graduation.

"Pansy?"

Pansy blinked, coming out of her thoughts. She wondered vaguely if she had been staring off into nothing.

"Yes?" She sighed, looking at Opal.

"I'm sorry."

Pansy frowned. "For what?" She turned her nose up slightly in an arrogant manner, a habit she had when she was confused.

"At the sorting…when I cried. I'm sorry."

Pansy lowered her nose slightly. "It's alright."

Opal crawled onto the bed and sat down in front of Pansy.

"No, it's not alright. I listened to what my family had told me without questioning any of it. They told me that people in Slytherin were all evil and crazy and that they wanted to kill everyone. My older brother told me that anyone that gets into Slytherin ought to be hexed into Oblivion and that he didn't know what he would have done if he had gotten sorted into Slytherin. But, none of you are like that! You all are nice, and we weren't even doing anything when the red-headed girl threw that cupcake. I'm glad I'm in Slytherin!" Opal said smiling.

Pansy gazed at the young girl for a full minute. Her chest tightened painfully as she remembered how proud she had been when she had first been sorted into Slytherin. When it had been a blessing not a curse and now Opal sat in front of her. No stress lined her face. Just naïve pride and hope. Maybe that's what Slytherin needed. A new start. People that had hope and could spread that hope to other people, because as Opal sat in front of her with such determined pride and hope, Pansy felt that everything was going to get better; maybe not tomorrow or in a week or even in a year, but one day, things were going to get better.

Pansy smiled. "Thank you, Opal. Slytherin is proud to have you, too."

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I hope you liked it!

Thank you everyone who reviewed the first chapter!

Sincerely,

Ms.WritingFantasy


	3. Chapter 3

Title: A Girl and Her Wolf

Title: A Girl and Her Wolf

Author: Ms.WritingFantasy

Disclaimer: Everything in this story belongs to J.K. Rowling, with the exemption of Venin Maltov, Opal Stephanova, and the plot. They are mine.

A/N: Thanks for reading. For those of you that reviewed my last chapter, thank you. Hope you enjoy Chapter 3.

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Pansy was not a morning person. The only greeting that someone could expect before 10:00 a.m. was either a scowl or a poorly aimed hex do to her eyes only being half open.

When she reluctantly awoke, Pansy drug a hand roughly through her hair and, while muttering obscenities, pushed out of her comfy haven. The scene was rather unlady like and would have most likely given her mother a heart-attack. Pansy yanked her covers back into an acceptable looking position and fluffed her pillow roughly to give her bed an over all decent look.

The house elves would be down soon to make the beds properly, but Professor Snape would be displeased if she didn't act as an appropriate role model for the first year.

Throwing on her school robes, Pansy half-heartedly ran a brush through her hair before heading to the girls' bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. That was one of the reasons she brushed her hair before bed, she knew that she'd be in no mood to really care about her hair in the morning, so she simply took care of it before she fell asleep.

There were two third years and a sixth year in the bathroom when Pansy arrived. The sixth year seemed to share Pansy's feelings concerning mornings. She was currently staring into a mirror trying to apply mascara, and every time she accidentally stuck her eye, she would curse angrily, rubbing her eye. She'd then clean up the smeared make-up and start again.

The two third years started to warmly greet Pansy, but their happy words stopped cold in their throats once the noticed her less-than-friendly expression.

Pansy finished her bathroom routine as quickly as she could and then went back to the girls' dorm. As the only seventh year girl, she knew that it was expected of her to wake Opal and generally take the young girl under her wing until she could take care of herself.

Pansy made her way over to Opal's bed. The sleeping girl looked so peaceful and innocent wrapped in the traditional black and green Slytherin comforter and sheets. A small smile played on her lips as she hugged the large pillow that was half way under her head and half way enclosed in her arms. She must have been dreaming about something pleasant…

"Wake up." Pansy growled giving Opal a rough shove.

Opal's eyes snapped open as she caught herself before rolling off the bed onto the stone floor.

"Get up. Get dressed. Whatever you need to do in the bathroom, do it. Make your bed, and then come up to the common room. Professor Snape will be in there at 8:00 to give his yearly speech and give out the schedules. You have exactly thirty-three minutes." Pansy pointed a stern finger at Opal. "Do _not_ be late. As the only seventh year, it is my duty to show you the ins and outs of what it is to be a Slytherin. If you're late it will make me look bad, and I will get in trouble. And if I get into trouble, you'll be in trouble. Is that clear?"

Opal nodded frantic and wide-eyed.

Pansy leaned in close, eyes squinting into a piercing glare.

"Then why are you still in bed? You're wasting precious time." Pansy hissed.

The young girl scrambled out of her bed and into action. Pansy turned, heading to the doorway that led to the common room.

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Upon entering the dimly lit common room, Pansy spotted Draco's unmistakable white-blond hair at the couch closest to the fire. She made her way over and took a seat next to him without a word. Letting out a sigh, she dropped her head into her hands.

"Good morning to you too." Draco teased.

"Draco," Pansy said the warning clear in her voice.

"I know. I know." Draco said. "We've known each other since birth, Pansy. I think I know better than anyone that you're a grouch in the morning."

Pansy sighed again. Bringing her head out of her hands she stared into the fire.

"Here," Draco pushed a cup into her hands. "You need this more than I do."

Pansy glanced done at the cup in her hands. The fire light made the liquid an eerie amber color.

"Where did you get tea from?" Pansy asked raising an eyebrow.

"The first year boy, Jacob Rennolds, is lactose intolerant. I went up to the kitchens about an hour ago to tell the house elves. I got it while I was there." Draco explained.

"Oh." Was all Pansy said. She took a generous drink of the tea and then made a face. "Three sugars!?" Pansy asked.

Draco smirked. "Like always."

Pansy pushed the cup back into Draco's hands. "You're such a fop sometimes." Pansy muttered, shaking her head.

"Am not." Draco took a drink of his tea. "Just because I don't guzzle down sugar-less tea, like you, doesn't make me a fop."

Pansy sighed, a small smile appearing on her lips.

"Am I late?"

Pansy jumped at the closeness of the voice. Opal was standing next to her looking wide-eyed and rather flustered.

"You still have," Pansy paused glancing at the common room clock. ", eighteen minutes left. You can't possibly be finished! Your tie isn't even done properly!" Pansy barked.

A flush rose to Opal's pale cheeks. "I-I didn't want to be late," Opal stuttered. ", and I wasn't sure how to tie my tie."

"You don't know how to tie a tie?" Pansy sneered dryly quirking an eyebrow.

Opal shook her head.

"Stop terrorizing her, Pansy." Draco sighed. "Come here Opal. I'll fix your tie."

Opal shuffled closer to Draco as Pansy muttered something under her breath that sounded strangely close to "fop".

Draco smiled, seeing Pansy scowl from the corner of his eye.

"You know," Draco started. ", during our first year," Draco glanced at Pansy. ", Pansy didn't know ho to tie a tie either."

A small smile appeared of Opal's face. Pansy's scowl deepened and she crossed her arms.

"Really?" Opal asked.

Draco nodded as he finished up the Windsor Knot. "She had to have me help her everyday for a month."

Opal laughed but quickly silenced herself after catching Pansy's death glare.

"I'm going to go sit with Venin." Opal said quickly hurrying away.

Draco lounged back into the couch wearing a smug smirk.

"You," Pansy growled. ", are an arse faced fop."

Draco laughed. "And you are a grouch." Draco paused. "I think Opal looks up to you."

"Wonderful." Pansy said dryly.

"Well I think so." Draco said. "You're one of the best girls to pass through Slytherin."

Pansy gazed at Draco. The firelight flickered off his pointed features in a dark but far from malevolent manner. The fire gave his pale skin a warm glow that would have made many people seem livelier, but only managed to look strange on him. His silver eyes seemed to flash every few seconds when the wood of the fire popped as water evaporated from the log's insides. After searching in vain for any signs of sarcasm Pansy finally decided that Draco meant what he had said.

"Thank you." Pansy said with out a hint of emotion in her voice. She was never entirely sure how to take compliments from Draco. He rarely gave them out, so when one did happen to slip past his lips, it always seemed to put the receiver on edge.

"You should have heard what she said last night." Pansy said suddenly. Her face and voice still held no emotion, but the gaze she kept with Draco seemed like an intense battle between the two.

"What was it she said?" Draco asked, not breaking Pansy's gaze.

"She apologized."

"Apologized?" Draco asked.

"Yes. She apologized for crying during the sorting, and then she had a little rant about Weasley. Opal already has a certain disdain for the Gryffindor house it seems."

Draco threw his head back and laughed, causing a few of the younger years to glance at the pair. Pansy turned her eyes to the fire, taking Draco's sudden break in eye contact as a signal that their silent battle of the gazes was now over. She felt him shift closer and put his arm on the back of the couch.

"That…is interesting." Draco said after a minute.

Pansy turned to face Draco again. He was now staring thoughtfully into the fire.

"What's interesting about it?" Pansy asked.

Draco latched his gaze back onto Pansy's. It wasn't the staring match that they had just seconds before. No. This was just a simple glance.

"Jacob had a similar "rant" last night as well. He really was worked up about "that mean ugly red head"." Draco said making quotations in the air with his fingers.

"Really?" Pansy asked.

Draco nodded a smirk on his lips.

A thoughtful "Hmph." came from Pansy, but besides that, she remained silent.

"You know Pansy-" Draco began.

At that moment the door to the common room opened and Draco fell silent as did the rest of the Slytherins. All eyes turned to the large dark figure that silhouetted the door way. The figure stepped into the common room revealing the stern face of the Head of the Slytherin House. The door shut behind him, seemingly on its own.

"My name is Professor Snape. I am the Head of Slytherin House as well as the Potion's Master. I do not tolerate idiocy in my house. I understand that as this is the house of snakes that there are many people in her less inclined to follow all the rules. Allow me to make it very clear to those that have just joined our family. If you are going to break any rules, make sure you do it in a way in which you won't be caught. It is idiocy to break rules in a foolhardy manner. It is clever to make a clear plan at what you are going to accomplish, and to be ready to make quick changes to that plan as problems arise."

Professor Snape paused letting all of what he said sink in.

Most everyone had heard the speech about rule breaking, with the exception of Opal and Jacob.

"You are all a family now." Professor Snape went on. "Even more so with your now meager numbers. As you witnessed yesterday, the other houses are going to do everything in their power to belittle and humiliate you. I know it is not the custom of the snake, but you must stand together or you will perish alone. I will do everything in my power to make the punishment of those that disrespect the Noble House of Salazar the most unpleasant things that I can." Professor Snape paused again, making eye contact with every one of his students.

"These next several years are going to be hard ones for the Slytherin House. I believe that the fact that you all are sitting here now is proof that you are strong enough to take anything those _other_ people can throw at you, both literally and figuratively. I believe that goes double for those who were sorted into Slytherin just this year. Out of fifty-three students, only two were considered good enough to be Slytherins. You all are here because you deserve it. You are Slytherins. You are the noblest, purest, cleverest house in Hogwarts. You all are the best no matter what might be said to you in the coming months. Remember that." Professor Snape finished.

The common room remained in silence for the next several minutes. Professor Snape's speeches had always remained short and were usually about not disgracing what it was to be a Slytherin, not about standing together or being a family. Finally, the Potion Master began reading off he names from the schedules in his hands.

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"Mr. Malfoy, Miss Parkinson, I would like a word with you before you leave to go to the Great Hall." Professor Snape said standing by the entrance to the common room.

The pair shared a glance and settled back into the couch they had begun to rise from.

When the rest of the Slytherins had left the common room, Professor Snape crossed over to the couch Pansy and Draco were sitting on so that he was standing in front of the fire. Large shadows danced a crossed his face from the flames. Pansy could see dark bags under her Head's eyes. He seemed even more tired than he had been during the Dark Lord's reign.

"As I'm sure you both realize, you're the only seventh years." Professor Snape began. His hands were clasped behind his back.

Pansy and Draco nodded silently.

"With everything that has happened over the summer, I'm not sure you even remember this, but you all are still Prefects, and will be expected to report to the Head Boy or Head Girl to receive your schedules and routes." Professor Snape paused. Both Pansy and Draco had for the slightest of seconds had seemed surprised by this news. "I would also like for you all to keep an extra close eye on the rest of your house mates. Whether you all like it or not, they will look up to the two of you as leaders of a sort. I know that before the week is up you two will have to stick up for one of our younger snakes, and I can't be everywhere at once. If there is something too big for you two to handle don't hesitate to come to me. The password to my office is _**Alchemy**_. Remember. Do. Not. Hesitate. Understood?"

"Yes, Professor." Pansy said.

Draco nodded. "We'll do our best, sir."

"Good." Professor Snape said with a slight nod of his head. A light sigh escaped him. "The Head Boy and Girl are Hermione Granger and Cameron Burke." He ignored the looks of disgust that appeared on both of his pupils faces. "I'm sure that you can find one of them during breakfast. Make sure you get your schedules. You're dismissed."

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"Honestly, Granger the Head girl?" Draco muttered for the fourth time as the climbed the stairs that led them from the dungeons to the ground floor. "It has got to be one of the most foul things I've ever heard. Dumbledore is completely biased for putting her into that position. You know that the only reason he chose her I because she's his _precious_ _little_ _mudblood_." Draco continued ranting until they had reached the Great Hall.

He rounded on Pansy suddenly.

"Do you even realize that we're going to have to be civil to that…to that…"

"Mudblood?" Pansy offered.

"_Yes!_" Draco yelled. His shoulders slumped forward suddenly. "It's just sick what has become of the world." He said quietly.

Pansy frowned sadly. The look on her best friend's face was one of absolute dejection. He seemed much tired and older that he had just minutes before in the common room. The trade-mark Malfoy smirk had come to his face easily, and his usual teasing nature had come seemingly effortlessly, and now he looked as if he wanted nothing else except take a master sleeping draught potion.

With a sigh she laid a hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"I'll get our schedules from the mudblood." Pansy told him. A look of hope entered his eyes only to be quickly followed by caution. "You owe me." She added.

Draco nodded. "Of course. Do you have something already planned out?" Draco asked hopefully. He hated owing favors.

"Nope. Just remember, you owe me." Pansy said.

And with that they entered the Great Hall together. All eyes turned to them. Most with a jeering sort of glare. Other seemed to almost pity the two. And finally, their motley gang of under classmen seemed genuinely relieved at the sudden entrance of their seventh years, as if their appearance would give the Slytherin table all the protection it could ever need.

Draco and Pansy separated quickly. Draco to the Slytherin table. Pansy to the Gryffindor one. Blood pounded painfully in her ears as she approached the gaudy red and gold lions. It wasn't hard to find the bushy brunette along with her ugly spaced looking red headed comrade, and finally Potter. The lions that had spotted Pansy approaching eyed her warily; some pulled out their wands. Somehow she managed to get close enough to the trio that she could have spat on them. She reached out and tapped Hermione on the shoulder. The bushy haired brunette turned around to face Pansy, a look of sheer confusion spreading across her filthy features.

"Pansy?" She asked.

The youngest Weasley boy next to her seemed to choke on whatever if was he was shoveling into his mouth. Potter hit him roughly on the back before staring up at Pansy as if she was a strange new animal that had just rolled out of a very dirty corner. The look made her grow warm with anger.

"I need me and Draco's Prefect schedules." Pansy said trying to avoid eye contact with anyone but Granger, but even the mudblood's gaze made her feel a blush creep up her neck and settle onto her cheeks. It was an infuriating experience.

Weasley snorted. "That's a joke. What did your parents have to do for you two to be Prefects?" He asked crossing his arms.

"Ron! Please!" Granger said hitting the red head on the arm.

"Ow! What's that for? Everyone's thinking it Hermione."

"Shh!" Granger said shooting him an angry glare. Potter laughed at this point, but didn't say anything.

Pansy could only raise her eyebrow at the scene.

"I don't have the schedules this week, Cameron does." Hermione said.

"Who's Cameron?" Pansy asked, trying her best to stare down the brunette.

"Cameron Burke. He's the Head Boy. I can introduce you if you don't know him." Granger offered meeting Pansy's stare with a fierce one of her own. It didn't seem to hold any hostility as Pansy's did.

Pansy nodded in agreement.

Granger rose from the table, as did her two faithful lackeys. She frowned, looking at them.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"With you." Potter answered as if it was obvious.

"We're not letting you alone with her." Ron added.

"Ron we're in the middle of the Great Hall. I'd hardly call that alone." She said placing a hand on her hip.

"But-"

"Sit down, Ron; you too Harry." She commanded.

Pansy was surprised to see both boys do exactly as Granger had said, albeit Weasley turned a god-awful red color and grumbled a bit, but he had obeyed.

A brunette boy leaned closer to the two.

"You two are whipped, mates." He said with a thick Irish accent.

"Seamus! You're not even listening!" A blond girl next to him screeched.

Grange took her chance to get away from the table as Potter, Weasley and the majority of the group around Seamus broke into laughter. Pansy followed, doing her best to stay at Granger's side instead of following behind her like a lost dog. Granger led her to the Hufflepuff table. Pansy could still feel eyes on her.

When they had reached the Hufflepuff table, Granger led Pansy to one end of the table where a group of rowdy looking boys sat.

"Cameron," Granger said placing her hand on the shoulder of boy with messy brown hair that hung in curls around his ears.

The boy turned, a large grin gracing his handsome features. "Hermione!" He shouted getting off of the bench and wrapping Granger in an overly zealous and very much unneeded bear hug. Pansy made a face at the gross display of public affection.

"What brings you to the Hufflepuff table?" Cameron went on after releasing the girl. Granger had to have been a whole foot shorter than the badger. His thin but tall frame didn't seem to have any muscle once so every. Pansy's mind quickly came up with the term _nerd_ to describe him, but his boyish good looks probably kept him fairly popular with the badger girls.

"I need Pansy's and Draco's schedules for the week." Hermione said glancing back at Pansy. Pansy offered a slight nod in the boy's direction.

"Oh…" Cameron said dropping his voice to a whisper. ", so that's why everyone is staring at us?"

"Yeah." Hermione grimaced.

"I see." Cameron said chewing on his bottom lip. "Well, I have them right here in my bag."

The tall male turned and dropped into a kneel next to his bag so gracefully that Pansy frowned in shock. An awkward few minutes passed as Cameron dug through his bag and Granger seemed to be trying to catch Pansy's eye with a friendly smile. The mudblood was beginning to give her the creeps. She would have to think of something scathing to say to both of them before she left to go to her table.

"Found them." Cameron said brandishing two pieces of parchment. He held them out for Pansy to take.

Pansy snatched them out of his hand and glared down at them. She had patrol Thursday with some Ravenclaw that she'd never heard of before. Draco it seemed had patrol tonight.

Glancing up from the schedules she saw that Granger and Cameron were still looking at her. She found it a tad awkward.

"Uh," Pansy groped for something to say. ", thanks" She finally sneered tuning on her heel and stalking away to the Slytherin table.

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Rewritten. Okay if you saw what I posted before, I must apologize. I was hyped up on energy drinks at almost midnight. I have a tendency to type some pretty wild stuff when I'm hyper. I had typed out the majority of the chapter when I was in a sane state and then last night I typed up this really random ending that I don't know where it came from.

So again if you saw it, I'm sorry. Only 25 people saw it but I am a tad embarrassed. Lol.

Hope you enjoyed it. Review please.

Sincerely, Ms.WritingFantasy


	4. Chapter 4

1Disclaimer – I don't own anything that's familiar

A/N –Don't really have much to say except enjoy the chapter!

WARNING – References to a woman's monthly friend.

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"What do you two have right now?" Draco asked as he, Pansy, and the two first years left the Great Hall.

Both of the first years began to dig in their bags to find their schedules, but it was Jacob that found his first.

"Herbology." He said with a smile.

"And then Transfiguration!" Opal chimed in.

"After that it's Charms!." Jacob added.

"And then-" Opal began.

"Okay. Okay!" Draco said shushing the two eleven year olds. "All we need to know is your first period. It's Herbology right?"

Both of the younger peers nodded.

"Alright. Pansy, I'll take them to Herbology first, and you can take them to Transfiguration after Herbology." Draco said turning to Pansy.

She nodded. "Fine. We have Transfiguration this hour. Don't be late. McGonagall will bite your head off, and you might end up doing detention with Weaselette."

Draco grimaced. "Right. I'll hurry. Come on kids." Draco said ushering the two younger snakes down the hall.

Pansy turned the other way and headed for the staircases.

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Draco wasn't late for Transfiguration, and Pansy had been grateful for that. About three quarters of the way up the staircases she began to worry about her three house mates. What Professor Snape had said had suddenly come back to her, and she stood there on the staircase for about a minute debating whether or not she should head over to the green houses just to make sure that they had made it safely. However, in the middle of her internal debate the staircase had begun to move, taking her away from the other staircases that went back to the first floor.

The blond had assured her that they had made it to the green houses perfectly safe, and Professor Sprout had put the two Slytherins where she could keep an eye on them.

Pansy had nodded and put on a mask of indifference after Draco's explanation, but underneath she was still worried. It wasn't as if she was particularly fond of either of the first years, but they were snakes non-the-less, and they were the future of Slytherin. As one of the only seventh years she supposed it just came natural for her to worry about her other peers. Her other peers. She hadn't even given a thought to the eighteen other house mates. Hopefully they had made it safely to their classes.

"Before we start class today I would like to say something." Professor McGonagall began. "I understand the House rivalries, but let me make it perfectly clear to everyone when I say that the House Cup and Quidditch Cup are where those rivalries are to be displayed. Under no occasion should those rivalries be acted out in the hallways or the Great Hall. Dueling is still strictly forbidden, and anyone that is found casting spells in the hallway at their fellow students will be severely punished."

Draco and Pansy shared a worried look. The only time McGonagall ever made a speech like that was when she felt students for ignoring the rules. She could have been referring to Weaselette when she threw the cup cake, but something in Pansy's gut told her differently.

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"I'm going to go check the Hospital Wing." Draco said as soon as class was over.

"You don't think it's that bad do you?" Pansy asked.

Draco didn't say anything for a moment. "I don't know," He said finally. ", but I don't want to wait until lunch to find out."

Pansy nodded. "Okay. I'll see you in Defense Against the Dark Arts then." She said turning away from him and hurrying to the stairs. If she didn't hurry then she'd cause both of the first years and herself to be late.

She made it down the stairs in record time and turned to head to the Entrance Hall when she heard a scream.

"Leave him alone!"

Pansy stopped in her tracks, her heart pounding in her ears. That voice. She knew that voice. She took off in a sprint to where the voice had come from. Rounding the corning of the hall she saw three boys with the red outline of Gryffindor on their robes. They had what looked to be a smaller boy pinned up against the wall, and a smaller girl was yanking on one of the boy's arms. The smaller boy was squirming in the older ones grip.

"I said leave him alone!" She hollered again.

Pansy pulled out her wand. "Drop him." She growled loudly.

The change of voice must have surprised the group because they all looked back at her. Opal recognized Pansy and ran to her. A small bruise was appearing on the side of her face. Pansy grabbed her by the arm and yanked the smaller girl behind her back.

"Are you deaf or just daft? I said 'drop him'." Pansy stated.

The largest of the boys turned to her. "Move along, unless you want to be next."

"Help!" Jacob yelled.

"Shut up." One of them said. They did something she couldn't see and Jacob cried out in pain.

"_**Stupify**_!" Pansy said suddenly causing the largest boy to fall to the ground.

Seeing their friend suddenly fall, the two other boys released Jacob and he fell to the floor with a loud "Oof!" The two then proceeded to pull out their wands and turn to Pansy.

"_**Expelliarmus**_!" Pansy said quickly and the two wands flew into her out stretched hand. She pushed them into Opal's hand. "Hold these." She said. "_**Stupify**_! _**Stupify**_!" The other two fell to the ground.

Pansy tucked her wand back into her pocket before going to Jacob's side. The boy had more bruises that Opal across his face.

"Do you need to go to the Hospital Wing?" Pansy asked pulling the boy up by his sleeve.

"That…was _amazing_!" Jacob said grinning.

"Jacob are you alright?!" Opal said suddenly running to the boy's side.

"I'm fine! Did you see her though? How did you get so fast, Pansy?" Jacob said turning his awe-struck gaze up to her.

"Practice." She said with a smirk. "I take it since you're well enough to celebrate you're well enough to go to class." Pansy stated.

Jacob nodded, smiling.

"Alright, just a second." Pansy went to each Gryffindor and said "_**Negmemus**_." to all three of them.

"What does that do?" Opal asked.

"It erases some of their memories, so they won't know how _**Stupified**_ them, and they probably won't remember you all either." Pansy said turning to the younger girl. "Let me see their wands."

Opal handed them to her. Pansy wiped them off with the Gryffindor boys' robes and then dropped them onto their respective owners. Pansy turned back to the younger snakes.

"What did I just do?" She asked her two bewildered looking peers.

"Um…" Opal said frowning.

"You covered our tracks so to speak." Jacob said suddenly.

"Exactly. They won't remember us, and it looks like the three of them got into some kind of fight, so we won't get in trouble." Pansy said bring a finger up. "That's what Professor Snape meant this morning. Understand?"

The two nodded.

"Good. No hurry up. We have to get you to class." Pansy said leading them to the stairs. "How did they get you in here anyway? Why weren't you waiting for me at the greenhouses?"

"They have Herbology this period, and they offered to show us the way to Transfiguration." Opal said. "They seemed nice enough at the time."

"But as soon as we got out of every ones sight they grabbed Opal." Jacob said angrily. "I don't know any offensive spells so I just hit the guy really hard, but then they all grabbed me."

Pansy stopped and took them both by the shoulder. "You can't trust Gryffindors." She said very seriously. "Most of them are to stupid to really plot anything bigger than this, but you still can't trust them. Any of them. Got it?" Pansy said.

Jacob nodded.

"But my brother is in Gryffindor." Opal said quietly.

Pansy caught herself before she could make a face. "That…is unfortunate. I'm going to be honest with you, Opal. Most siblings don't last when it comes to House rivalries, and Slytherin and Gryffindor have the biggest rivalry of them all." Pansy gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "But don't worry, Slytherin will be there for you."

Opal nodded sadly. "I understand."

"Good. What about you, Jacob? Do you have a sibling in another house?" Pansy asked.

"Nope. I'm an only child." Jacob said shaking his head.

"Lucky you." Pansy said smiling. "Come on lets get you to class."

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"Ah…Miss Parkinson. Nice of you to join us." Professor Lupin said as soon as Pansy entered DADA. "As it's the first day I will refrain from docking points from you, but please do not make a habit of being tardy to my class."

"Yes Professor." Pansy said as she headed over to Draco as soon as she spotted him. She had just about made it to him when someone stuck their foot out and tripped her. A surprised squeal escaped her as she caught herself with her hands before she could face plant the ground.

"Miss Brown please keep your feet under your desk." Professor Lupin said in a bored tone.

"Sorry Professor." Lavender said smiling down at Pansy.

Pansy scowled and picked herself up off the ground. She sent a death glare in the girl's direction before going and taking her seat next to Draco.

"Are you alright?" Draco whispered as soon as Professor Lupin had gone back to lecturing.

"Yes." Pansy clipped acidly.

"What happened? Why were you late?" Draco asked.

"Three Gryffindor boys tricked Opal and Jacob into following them. They had Jacob pinned to a wall when I got there. They were muggle-handling them." Pansy said.

She heard Draco suck in a breath. "Damn. How bad were they hurt?"

"Just some bruises. They got pretty excited by some simple spell work though." Pansy said smiling. "Jacob was practically bouncing after it was all over."

Draco wasn't smiling. "Did you clean everything up?" He asked.

Pansy scowled. "Of course I did. I'm not daft Draco. I erased part of their memories and made it looked like they had some kind of spat amongst themselves. They probably won't even remember seeing Opal and Jacob." Pansy said.

Draco finally smiled. "Good."

"Was anyone in the Hospital Wing?" Pansy asked suddenly.

"No," Draco said ", she had already left by the time I got there. A third year girl got hit with a boil curse, and she also had her hair changed to match the Hufflepuff colors. She's fine now, but Madam Pompfrey said the color would have to come out on its own."

Pansy grimaced. "I'm sure we can cover the color up somehow. What was the girl's name?"

Draco frowned for a second and sighed. "Ah…Amber Fleet. I believe that was her name."

"Okay, at lunch let's see what we can do to cover it up. She's probably getting more crap because her hair now." Pansy said.

"Miss Parkinson, first you come into my class late and now you're not even paying attention to the lesson, are you wanting your house to lose points." Professor Lupin asked walking over and standing in front of Pansy and Draco's desks.

"No Professor." She replied automatically.

"Then I suggest you pay less attention to Mr. Malfoy and more attention to the proper way to counter act a Banshee scream." Professor Lupin said with a small smile adorning his scarred face.

"Yes Professor." She said slowly as to keep from making a snide remark.

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As soon as DADA was over Draco and Pansy gathered their things and began to head to the door.

"They're in Transfiguration right?" Draco asked.

"Right, and you need to take them-" Pansy cut her self with a gasp as she found the ground rushing to her face for a second time in the class. Draco caught her by the arm and pulled her up before she could hit the ground, but he lost his balance and the tumbled into a desk. Everyone around them burst into laughter as they untangled themselves from the desk and each other.

"Jeez Parkinson maybe if your feet weren't so big maybe you wouldn't be tripping over them all the time." Lavender said laughing.

Pansy growled and went to pull out her wand, but Draco caught her by the arm again.

"Don't they're too many of them, and the werewolf is watching." Draco hissed into her ear.

Pansy huffed but left her wand in her pocket. "I'd rather have big feet than be a slut Brown." Pansy bit out.

"Well at least when I'm on the rag I don't let it run down my leg." Lavender scoffed.

Pansy frowned and glanced down at her leg. There was a gash from when Draco and her hit the edge of the desk.

"Oh hell." She grimaced suddenly feeling light headed. Everyone around them began to laugh again. Draco had turned a tad greenish from the sight of blood.

"Everyone, I have my planning this hour, so I know you al should be somewhere else. Clear out." Professor Lupin said ushering the students out. "Miss Parkinson, you're bleeding. Do you need to be escorted to the Hospital Wing or can you make it yourself?"

"I can take her Professor." Draco spoke up before Pansy could say anything.

"No you can't. You have to show Opal and Jacob to Potions." Pansy said sternly. "Besides, I can walk myself." Pansy said indignantly. She took a step and was fine until she glanced back down at her leg. She nearly swooned. Blood. She hated blood. She could stand seeing others bleed, but the sight of her own made her sick. Draco and Professor Lupin must have noticed her sway because they were both at her side suddenly, Draco looking away from her as to not throw up. He was worse than her when it came to blood.

"Miss Parkinson I'm going to come with you to the Hospital Wing." Professor Lupin said. It wasn't a request. "Mr. Malfoy hurry along to wherever you need to be."

Draco made a face and glanced at Pansy. When she didn't say anything he nodded. "Yes Professor." He said before leaving the classroom.

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A/N – Wow that was long, and it still ended with a cliff hanger. Jeez. I am on a role! I managed to write three one-shots last night. THREE! Well, I might make chapter 5 to this right after I upload this one. Idk. Hope you liked it. Review please. Also _**Negmemus **_is a spell I made up. Anyone is welcome to use it. It come's from the Latin words neg (no) and memor (memory).

Sincerely,


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own anything familiar.

A/N - It's been a very long time since I updated, and I haven't been on fanfiction net in a long time. I've been hanging out over at livejournal quite a bit. The reason I'm back is because all the e-mail that I received two days ago was from fanfiction net because of this story. I read over a couple of my older stories and decided "Eh, what the heck...I'll update and see what happens."

Enjoy the chapter.

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Chapter 5

The walk to the Hospital Wing had been uneventful in the sense that no one had tried to physically lash out at Pansy. The werewolf was a useful shield at keeping people at a distance, and if he noticed the whispers or stares that Pansy received he hid it well. Once, she had stumbled going up one set of stairs, cursing as the older man caught her by the arm. Shaking him off she sent him a purposeful glare to let him know she was perfectly capable of catching herself. He didn't bother to catch her when she stumbled again a few steps later, but he did send her a wry half smile before donning a more serious expression.

Madam Pomfrey shook her head and mumbled something under her breath when Pansy and the werewolf had entered her domain.

"Take a seat on a bed Miss Parkinson." Madam Pomfrey ordered pulling out her wand.

Pansy did so silently.

"Thank you for bringing her Remus." Madam Pomfrey smiled grimly at the werewolf before hurrying over to Pansy. The healer began to murmur spells over Pansy's leg.

"My pleasure Poppy. I'd hate to think what you'd do to me if I let injured students roam the halls alone." The werewolf joked as he began to leave the ward.

"Oh. Remus," Madam Pomfrey said turning away from Pansy. "Before you leave could I speak to you in my office?"

"Well, yes." Remus said, a light frown crossing his features.

"Just let yourself in. I'll be in there soon."Madam Pomfrey said turning back to Pansy. She started murmuring spells again.

In a matter of minutes Madam Pomfrey smiled up at Pansy. "There you go. All patched up. I don't think you lost enough blood to need a blood replenishing potion. Just try to go to bed early tonight and drink some orange juice at lunch or dinner and you'll be as good as new tomorrow. Rest for a few minutes while I talk to Professor Lupin."

"Thank you." Pansy said running her hand over where the gash had been. No scar. No sign that there had ever been a cut. Pansy sighed lightly. She had a certain respect for healers. One of the most extensive curriculums at any University was for healers, especially if you were planning on specializing in a particular healing field such as Psychmancy or Hemology.

The Slytherin hadn't ever told anyone but she found the thought of being some sort of a healer an interesting future. She didn't want to be a school healer like Madam Pomfrey. No. She didn't want to be in any position where she might have to help mudbloods, but she wouldn't have minded being a personal healer to the dark side. It was a far minded fantasy of course. Her parents would never approve. They had done everything in their power to keep her as far from the fighting as possible. Their full support had been given to the cause, but they had always wanted their daughter to marry a war hero not be a war hero or war healer in her case.

Pansy had been kept as close to home as possible, even though the ravenette girl was more than willing to be on the field next to all her other friends that had given themselves to the cause. The thought of merely being a breeder had left her with with an acidic taste in her mouth. Pansy was no militant feminist but the desire to be great was there buried beneath years of manners and traditions that had been forced upon her. She was a pure blood, but she was also an individual capable of decisions.

Not that any of her dreams would ever come true. No. She knew better. Her mind might bolster and shout but she could never openly betray her parents wishes. She would marry whomever they decided. She would have children. She would take care of her house and be dutiful to her husband and the pureblood race. That was to be her life. It didn't exactly fill her with joy, and it wasn't exactly what she wanted, but it was what she had accepted long ago before she was even old enough to imagine that there might be something else in life that she wanted.

The life that her parents had led and all her ancestors had led wasn't a bad one. On the contrary, it was a life that many envied. Numerous people would give anything to have the stability that her life promised. She would never go hungry. Her children would never be without the best. They would have regular holidays.

It wasn't that it was a bad life at all. It was just...she had no choice in the matter. And that was really what she wanted. She wanted the choice. The choice of whom to marry or if she indeed even wanted to marry at all. The choice of if she wanted a career or to be a house wife. Just to be able to choose something about her life would be pleasant. But at the same time she knew that even if she had the choice she wouldn't know what to do with it. Frozen with indecision. Everything in her life had been left to someone else, and she wouldn't have the first clue how to take control of her life if her parents would allow it.

She'd probably end up doing exactly what they wanted anyway simply because she didn't know how to do anything else. Even the fact that she hated her new longer hair and the plan to cut it behind her mother's back had been filtering in and out of her daydreams the past couple weeks wouldn't ever really happen. It was so much simpler to just give her parents what they wanted that she wouldn't ever dare to actually go against their wishes.

It's just how things were.

"Miss Parkinson, you're welcome to go back to class now, unless you feel that you need that blood replenishing potion."

Pansy glanced up as she came out of her thoughts. "I think I'll be fine ma'am."

"Alright dear. Just be safe and try not to let me see you or your friends in here to much." Madam Pomfrey said smiling grimly again. The werewolf appeared in the doorway of Madam Pomfrey's office with a thoughtfully somber crease on his worn features before heading to the entrance to the hallway without looking or saying anything to either of the other occupants of the room. "I'll be sure to send an owl to your professor letting them know you were in here." Madam Pomfrey added watching the werewolf leave.

"Thank you." Pansy said keeping her face void of expression. Her nerves were anxious as she watched the small scene pass before her eyes. She had seen the way her parents and other Death Eaters had acted far too often when they feared that the Dark Lord might blame them for some mishap to not notice when others were gravely worried. The werewolf and Madam Pomfrey were worried about something, but Pansy wasn't sure what for.

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Pansy breathed a sigh of relief when she reached Potions. It was a haven. Professor Snape wouldn't tolerate anyone ridiculing his house. Her and the other snakes would be safe during this class. The large door creaked loudly as she opened it and all heads turned to look at her as she made her way to the table her and Draco had used for their entire seven years of schooling. Professor Snape didn't say anything to her until she had taken her seat.

"Madam Pomfrey has already owled me, Miss Parkinson." Pansy nodded gratefully. "Mr. Malfoy please give Miss Parkinson the instructions for today's potion."

"Yes Professor." Draco turned more to her and continued to cut his ginger root into thin slices. "We're making the Babbling Beverage. It's really simple. I think he's just wanting us to get used to the cauldrons again. Probably doesn't want to risk anyone blowing things up."

"What do you need me to do?" Pansy asked.

"I've already added most of the ingredients. I just need to add this ginger root and squash up the slugs and add their paste with powdered horn root and then add them to the potion. You want to squash the slugs?" Draco asked.

"Not particularly." Pansy said making a face.

Draco smiled slightly, still not looking up from his ginger root. "Fine. Here. You can cut the ginger root. I'll squash the slugs." Draco said handing Pansy the knife. She took it and began to cut silently.

Minutes passed the only sound passing between the two snakes was the steady chop of Pansy's knife and the slurping noise as Draco squashed the slugs. Both were lost in deep thought as they went on with their task. When the end of class finally came they had an exceptional potion to turn it.

Professor Snape had taken it up without a word, but Pansy and Draco had been in his house long enough to tell when he approved of something.

"Mr. Malfoy, Miss Parkinson, please stay after class." Professor Snape said just as class was dismissed.

Pansy and Draco gathered their things before heading to the front of the class were their head of house sat behind his desk.

He finished straightening some of his papers before completely turning his attention to his two students.

"What happened?" Professor Snape asked evenly. Draco spoke up quicker than Pansy could.

"It was Brown. Lavender Brown. She tripped Pansy twice. The first time it was when Pansy came into class late. The second time was when we were leaving class to come here. The second time I caught Pansy but we both ended up falling against a desk. It cut Pansy's leg. I saw both times, but the werewolf was watching so I couldn't do anything to Brown."

Professor Snape nodded. "Why were you late to Lupin's class Miss Parkinson?"

"Draco and I were taking turns walking the first years to their class. When it was my turn I found them in the hall with three Gryffindor. They had tricked Opal and Jacob into following them and they were muggle handling them. I...._explained_ to them in a way they could understand that they weren't allowed to handle the Slytherin house that way. Jacob and Opal were unharmed besides a few bruises." Pansy sucked in a mouthful of air. "We have to go get them, Sir. I doubt they'll be able to find their way to the Great Hall without our help." Pansy started to head to the door when Snape's voice stopped her.

"Miss Parkinson that won't be necessary. Miss Stefanova is currently in the hospital wing and I imagine Mr. Burke or Miss. Granger is already escorting Mr. Reynolds to lunch."

Pansy froze then slowly turned back to her Professor.

"What?" Draco asked frowning. "What are you talking about?"

Professor Snape sighed heavily. "Professor Flitwick had left the class alone for a moment to go into his office. The majority of the class attacked Miss Stefanova and Mr. Reynolds. Mr. Reynolds sustained only minor injuries from the attack but I'm afraid Miss Stefanova has a concussion and a broken arm. Madam Pomfrey assured me that Miss Stefanova will be perfectly fine in a matter of days. She'll have missed many of the important opening instructions that the other first years received, though. I'm going to discuss with the other Professors about giving her a written cope of all their instructions."

"How could they all attack at once though?" Draco asked.

"It was planned..." Pansy said quietly.

"Precisely, Miss Parkinson." Professor Snape said. "There are many in the other houses who would have been quite happy if no one had returned to Slytherin, and they are apparently spreading this feeling to as many of the younger students as possible. I'm not sure who exactly is leading this anti-Slytherin movement. I highly doubt it is simply one student; it is more likely a multitude of students who's family held grudges or students who have always held a disdain for our house. I don't know. What I do know is that we are going to have to keep a much closer eye on the younger students." Professor Snape sighed raking a hand through his greasy hair in a very undignified manner. He appeared to be trying to control himself. The next time he spoke his voice was much calmer.

"I have no doubt that you both can handle yourself if you get cornered. Draco, you've had plenty of hands-on experience. Pansy you've been trained just as much if not more than Draco. I know your family was very protective of you."

The two snakes stood stony faced and rigid.

"However, your younger peers are not very experienced. The sixth years and fifth years should be able to help you with the proper...instructing from their prefects. The fourth years _might _be able to help protect the younger students but I wouldn't rely to heavily on them .They'll probably be more needy then helpful."

"Professor." Draco cut in with a frown. "Are you saying that we are supposed to fight? I knew when I came here this year that this year was going to be hell simply because the war was over, but are you giving us permission to do whatever is needed to protect our house?"

"I said nothing of the sort Mr. Malfoy." Professor Snape said evenly. "I'm simply informing you that there is a possibility that other students might be violent, and it is perfectly acceptable to...take the necessary precautions to defend yourself. As a teacher I can not tell you to take the offensive as it could cost me my job. I wouldn't want you all to be hurt in anyway however, and that is why I warned you about the possible encounters with your other school mates."

"But Professor..." Pansy said. "What about Burke and Granger? I don't trust either of them."

"I understand if you wouldn't want Mr. Burke or Miss Granger around your younger peers Mis Parkinson, however with them being the Head Boy and Girl, Dumbledore has assured me that they won't do anything that would negatively affect any of your house mates."

"Dumbledore is a bloody nutter and a blood traitor." Draco suddenly sneered. " It's bad enough to think that mudblood Granger might be around our house, but having someone like Dumbledore _pity _us like we're some worthless muggle is too much. And do we even know anything about Burke besides the fact that he's a badger? He's probably a blood traitor or a mudblood himself. I don't want the future of Slytherin to be cuddly with mudbloods and blood traitors!"

Professor Snape rose from his seat, the hem of his robe flaring out angrily as if an offshoot of his emotions.

"You know nothing of pity, _Draco._ Sometimes...sometimes it is the only way that you can live. Your father would tell you that if he were still alive." Professor Snape hissed out.

Draco turned an an awful shade of red.

"There are things that we must do to live. If you truly _care _about the future of the Slytherin House then you will swallow your pride and accept help when you need it. You can accept help and quietly teach the next generation the proper way to think. That is what a true Slytherin would do. It is clever and ambitious. Do not let your pride be the downfall of hundreds of years of tradition." Professor Snape leered at him as Draco stared fiercely at the ground.

Professor Snape suddenly turned his gaze to Pansy. "Do you have anything to say about the situation, Miss Parkinson?"

"No sir." She said quietly staring at Draco from the corner of her eye.

"Good. I've been told that the other Prefects are also going to help in protecting you all. It is my hope that the attacks will be stifled in the very near future. I would hate to think what it would be like to endure this all year. Stay safe. Make allies. You're dismissed."

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When they were outside of the Potions classroom Draco still continued to stare fiercely at the floor. He clenched and unclenched his fists several times.

"Draco?" Pansy asked hesitantly. "Draco...are you alright?"

"I can't believe he brought my father into all of this." Draco growled. "He knows that...I told him...Why couldn't..." an angry tear slid silently down Draco's cheek.

Pansy took Draco's clenched fist into both her hands. "He's just upset Draco. You surly can tell that."

Draco sighed swiping his free hand over his face angrily. "Come on." Draco sighed unclenching his fist and taking Pansy's hand in his. "Let's go to lunch."

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A/N - Well, hope that my first update in months was worth reading. Please review lovely readers. I love you all. :D

Sincerely,


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